Mounting structure for shelves of switchboard units



3,148,311 MOUNTING STRUCTURE FOR SHELVES OF SWITCHBOARD UNITS Filed Jan. 19, 1959 Sept. 8, 1964 R. CONWAY ETAL 2 Sheets-Sheet l 4 m W9 .r Ym H m ATa 7 P 7 0 W550 R M NHA 4 w 2 a m RR T w v A H mMm 8 U. a. o... iuM nawmwg luluill:

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MOUNTING STRUCTURE FOR SHELVES 0F SWITCHBQARD UNITS Filed Jan. 19, 1959 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 ,7 NVENTORS: 61' RONALD coNwm er REGNALD H. STERNS WLLJAN F. ABEL EDWN J. R. COX

ATToRNavs United States Patent 3,148,311 MQUNTKNG STRUQTURE FUR SHELVES 0F SWITCHBOARD UNITS Ronald Conway, Havana, Cuba, and Reginald Heher Stems, Clifton, William F. Abel, Bloomfield, and Edwin J. R. Cox, Hawthorne, N.Ll., assignors to International Telephone and Telegraph Corporation, New York, N.Y., a corporation of Maryland Filed Jan. 19, 1959, Ser. No. 787,709 3 Claims. (Cl. 317-419) This invention relates to mounting structure for switchboard shelves each comprising switchboard units mounted side by side, the shelves being commonly mounted in superposed relationship on a switchboard frame. The general object is to provide a more economical and sturdy shelf-mounting structure on which the units of a shelf may readily be detachably mounted.

As commonly used, shelf-mounting structure is a ladder-like assembly including a pair of parallel structural angle bars, horizontally disposed one above the other in mounted position on a switchboard frame, interconnected by vertical spacing bars between which the shelf units are detachably mounted and are held in mounted position by slotted hook parts of the units engaging short mounting pins extending horizontally through the vertical bars. This prior construction is expensive to produce because of the large number of parts contained therein. For example, such a structure for a shelf of ten shelf units of switchboard apparatus requires two angle bars, eleven spacing bars, and twenty-two mounting pins secured in the spacing bars, a total of thirty-five separate parts which must be secured together in one assembly.

According to the invention, a simplified and more economical shelf-mounting structure is provided which is also more rigid and permits a longer shelf structure to be used without requiring an intermediate support.

In the preferred embodiment herein disclosed, the new shelf-mounting structure takes the general form of a single channel member having its upper and lower flanges disposed outwardly, or toward the shelf units. Suitable cutouts, or openings, spaced as desired along the flanges near their edges leave attached lip-like (or pin-like) hook-retaining portions which serve the purpose of the noted mounting pins in the prior structure. Thus, a singlemember structure replaces the 35-member structure of the foregoing prior-art example.

A feature of the improved structure is that the noted mounting openings are each of suflicient width to accommodate the hook members of two adjacent shelf units, thereby permitting the units to be placed as close together as desired, whereas the units are separated by spacer bars in the prior construction.

The flat back wall of the improved structure provides a convenient location for running the necessary horizontal conductors therealong, such as the'usual shelf conductors, comprising inter-unit power, tone, and supervisory conductors, and they may be conveniently confined as by ring-like devices detachably received in openings through the back wall of the structure.

A further feature of the improved structure is that its lower forwardly extending flange is in two sections, or levels, interconnected by a vertical wall. This construction enhances the rigidity of the structure and also permits the lower hook-on location of the shelf units to be raised with respect to the location of the usual fixed multipoint jacks which conveniently underlie the bottom of the structure. By this feature, units designed for mounting on the noted prior structure may be mounted on the improved structure.

The foregoing and other objects and features of this invention and the manner of attaining them will become ice more apparent, and the invention will be best understood, by reference to the following description of an embodiment of the invention taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, comprising FIGS. 1 to 8, Wherein:

FIG. 1 is a front view of a switchboard frame having shelves A to E of switches supported thereon by structures according to the invention;

FIG. 2 is a side view generally along line 2-2 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is an enlarged rear view of shelf A portion of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a further-enlarged partial front view of the shelf A;

FIG. 5 is a side view along line 55 of FIG. 4;

FIG. 6 is a top view of the structure of FIG. 4;

FIG. 7 is a sectional view, along line 77 of FIG. 8, of the mounting structure of a shelf with a wire-support ring mounted thereon; and

FIG. 8 is a rear view of the structure of FIG. 7.

Referring first to FIGS. 1 to 3, flve shelves A to E of switchboard apparatus are supported on mounting structures (or shelf structures) SS, embodying the invention. Shelf structures SS are mounted as by bolts 14 on a switchboard frame SF. Frame SF includes two floor angles 2, 3, channel uprights 4, 5, and top angles 6, 7 fastened together by bolts or rivets.

Each shelf A to E comprises a shelf structure SS, and the apparatus mounted thereon. In the illustrative example, the units of switchboard apparatus detachably mounted as shelves A. to E comprise selector switches of the general type shown in FIG. 200 of Telephony Including Automatic Switching, by A. B. Smith, 1924, Drake and Co. As is there further illustrated in FIGS. 170 to 172, each such switch has a contact bank pendant therefrom.

When fully equipped, each ten selector shelf includes switches l to ill. It further includes a terminal block TB for its bank cable 31, and a fuse panel 12 with which lamps and other supervisory apparatus 13 may be connected.

Wires extending along the back wall of shelf structure SS are connected to shelf jacks $4 and include shelf wires from panel 12. They are kept in position by Wire rings WR described hereinafter.

As seen best in FIG. 3, the ten banks of the switches of a shelf are interconnected point-by-point by a bank multiple 3%, which is connected by bank cable 31 at the end of the shelf to block TB for the usual purpose.

Each switch position on the shelf includes the usual fixed multi-point shelf jack 84 (attached by screws 43 to flange section 42), with which a mating jack 81, 82 (FIG. 5) on the rear of any switch may cooperate.

Referring particularly to FIGS. 4 to 6, each shelf structure SS is a single structural member of a general channel shape having a wide horizontal upper flange 41, a vertical web or back wall 40 and a lower horizontal flange. The lower horizontal flange is on two levels or sections 42 and 142 connected by vertical wall portion 43. Regularly spaced sets of vertically aligned rectangular cutouts 44 and 47 in flange members 41 and 142 receive the hook tongues 32 of the mounting plates 25 of the switches. The front edges of the rectangular cutouts 44 and 47 are so spaced inwardly from the flange edges as to leave liplike hook-retaining portions 49 and 50, for retaining the noted hook tongues 32.

The mounting of a shelf unit (selector switch SW) onto an unoccupied position on a shelf structure SS is performed by moving the unit rearwardly until the cutout portion below the ends of hooks 32 (see FIG. 5) receives lip portions 49 and 50, and lowering the unit until the upper end of the upper pair, or of the lower pair, of

bayonet cutouts 33 in the switchplate sides come to rest on the associated lips 49 and 50. As illustrated, the support contact is made with lower lips 50.

As the switch unit is lowered, the blades 82 of jack 81 thereof (FIG. 5) make the usual multi-conductor electrical connection with the jack-point members 83 (FIGS. 5, 6) of the associated shelf jack 84.

The olfset flange and wall arrangement, parts, 42, 43, 142 permits standard jack assemblies 81, 84 to be used, and provides clearance forwardly of wall 43 for unitjack blades 82 to be moved down and up with the unit plate 25 (during the described hook-on attachment and detachment of a switch or other switchboard unit) into and out of engagement with shelf-jack blades 83.

The relay and switch apparatus (not shown) mounted on each plate 25 of a selector switch SW is ordinarily protected by a slip-on dust cover 26, shown partially broken away in FIG. 5, which fits over plate 25. Cover 26 is commonly made of relatively thin sheet steel, and is provided with cutouts and hook structure (not shown) similar to 32, 33 of plates 25. The width of slots 47 is ample to receive the hook-on members of covers 26 when such covers are positioned on the mounted switch units.

In'FIG. 1 positions 6, 9, 4, 8 of shelves A, B, C and E are shown as not provided with switches SW. The contact bank 27 at each such unequipped switch position is shown supported by a bank-support structure BS which provides support for the associated contact bank 27 ordinarily provided by a switch structure. As illustrated in the cited publication, each contact bank is provided with a pair of vertical bank rods threaded at the top for attachment to a switch structure or other support. In FIGS. 4 to 6 the noted bank rods are shown at 28, where a low-cost bank-support structure BS of simple construction is shown, for hook-on attachment through openings 47 in lower flange portion 142.

Bank support BS is shown as bent up from a single length of rod or heavy wire. It comprises a horizontal lower portion 63 formed with rod-receiving openings 61, vertical side portions 64, and an upper horizontal portion ending in a pair of attachment hooks 620.

To place the bank support BS into its working position, best seen in FIG. 5, the end of each hook portion 62c is inserted from above into a cutout 47 of lower flange 142, and the device is lowered until the hook ends abutt the outer side of wall 43 at 62a, and a part of the hook engages the inner corners of lip 50 at 62b. The associated bank 27 (FIG. 1) may now be attached by inserting the rods 28 thereof through openings 61 and applying nuts 29 as shown. This simple bank-support structure replaces the usual bolt-on structure considered necessary with the prior shelf-support structure which used stub pins rather than the notch-defining lips 49, 50.

Referring now to FIGS. 7 and 8, the wire ring WR is made preferably of spring wire. It has a main semicircular portion 71 and a looped back retaining portion 72 useable for a snap-in action in horizontally disposed T-shaped openings 46.

With the wire ring in a horizontal plane, the looped portion 72 is then inserted into opening 46, and the ring is turned upwardly to a vertical position. Through snapaction, the neck portion 73 of the loop 72, having been compressed by the turning action, expands in the head 4 portion of the opening 46 to lock the ring in its vertical position until, and unless, the described installing steps are reversed.

While we have described above the principles of our invention in connection with specific apparatus, it is to be clearly understood that this description is made only by way of example and not as a limitation to the scope of our invention.

We claim:

1. A mounting structure for detachably supporting units of switchboard apparatus of the type having a pair of upper and a pair of lower downwardly extending support hook members and having a unit jack comprising a plurality of jack blade members, the said mounting structure comprising a one-piece horizontally elongated channel member having a vertical exposed central portion separating upper and lower flange members which are forwardly extending from said central portion, each of said flange members having spaced apart openings therethrough for receiving and retaining the hook members of the said switchboard units, and shelf jacks including a plurality of jack point members extending forwardly of the lower flange portion of the channel member, the said lower flange having an upwardly offset forward portion for abutting said switchboard unit, said shelf jacks being supported by said lower flange member and being positioned adjacent the exterior of the lower flange member for cooperative association with respective ones of said unit jacks.

2. Mounting structure according to claim 1 wherein the said central portion includes a series of laterally displaced perforations arranged for receiving and retaining a separate snap-in device for supporting inter-conductors extending along said channel member.

3. Mounting structure as set forth in claim 1 wherein the said units of switchboard apparatus comprise automatic switches having respective contact banks multiple together laterally along the chamiel member and supported by said automatic switches, a bank support structure having hooked portions adaptable for insertion into the said spaced-apart openings unoccupied by automatic switches to mount said bank support structure and the contact bank secured thereto.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,097,755 Goldsmith May 26, 1914 1,882,854 Mead Oct. 18, 1932 1,930,928 Dunlay Oct. 17, 1933 2,100,017 7 Van Uum Nov. 23, 1937 2,174,669 Sachs Oct. 3, 1939 2,428,322 Robertson Sept. 30, 1947 2,583,105 Johansson Jan. 22, 1952 2,783,961 Weber Mar. 5, 1957 I 2,790,559 Stephenson Apr. 30, 1957 2,829,317 Timmermans Apr. 1, 1958 2,914,708 Edmunds Nov. 24, 1959 2,934,660 Brunner Apr. 26, 1960 2,937,767 Butler May 24, 1960 2,969,418 Benander Jan. 24, 1961 FOREIGN PATENTS 702,463 Great Britain Jan. 20, 1954 

1. A MOUNTING STRUCTURE FOR DETACHABLY SUPPORTING UNITS OF SWITCHBOARD APPARATUS OF THE TYPE HAVING A PAIR OF UPPER AND A PAIR OF LOWER DOWNWARDLY EXTENDING SUPPORT HOOK MEMBERS AND HAVING A UNIT JACK COMPRISING A PLURALITY OF JACK BLADE MEMBERS, THE SAID MOUNTING STRUCTURE COMPRISING A ONE-PIECE HORIZONTALLY ELONGATED CHANNEL MEMBER HAVING A VERTICAL EXPOSED CENTRAL PORTION SEPARATING UPPER AND LOWER FLANGE MEMBERS WHICH ARE FORWARDLY EXTENDING FROM SAID CENTRAL PORTION, EACH OF SAID FLANGE MEMBERS HAVING SPACED APART OPENINGS THERETHROUGH FOR RECEIVING AND RETAINING THE HOOK MEMBERS 